The Pentagon would be considering the withdrawal of up to 10,000 soldiers from Romania, Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe, according to information from the American press, but not yet officially confirmed by the Trump administration, as published by the media . These soldiers are destined in these regions to reinforce the defenses of border countries with Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The withdrawal of the American military in Romania does not necessarily mean the withdrawal of the American presence, but the scenario of a reduction of these troops in the country is an important political sign, considers the Romanian environment Claudiu Degeratu, an expert in international relations.
Currently, approximately 1,700 American soldiers are in Mission in Romania. The largest detachment, almost 1,400 soldiers, is parked in the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base, and the exact number varies according to rotation, once every few months. Meanwhile, at the base of Deveselu there are about 200 military who operate the Aegis Ashore antimisile shield, while in the Air Base of Câmpia Turzii there are more than 100.
“It is difficult to say anything from an official point of view. The rotation ceremony of the US forces at the base of Kogălniceanu was recently celebrated, so now they will stay. 10,000 soldiers means that they are all from Eastern Europe, and it is a questionable figure. We also discuss the deadline: 10,000 in a year, 10,000 in two years?” Degethu explained.
The expert stressed that currently the status of American troops in Romania is not permanent, but also changes, by rotation. A possible withdrawal of American military personnel would even involve a reduction in the number of troops that reach our country in a rotary form.
“If we analyze the scenario of a reduction of the rotary presence, that is, a withdrawal of, say, 50%, then that does not change things at all. However, if we discuss the hypothesis of a total withdrawal, which is very unlikely from my point of view, then, of course, the impact is great for national security and deterrence in Eastern Europe, being a more than military political signal,” he said.
“On the other hand, the withdrawal of the Armed Forces does not necessarily imply the withdrawal of the US presence, since we are also talking about the presence of American drone units in Câmpia Turzii and the antimile shield in Deveselu. There we do not talk about soldiers, but of defense and combat systems,” says the expert.
When asked about whether there is a scenario in which Americans can close and remove the DevesoLu shield, Degeratu replies no. “From my point of view, no. I think it could be a partial withdrawal due to this rotation that is being carried out. So I do not know, 10%, 15%or 20%; it is yet to be confirmed if this figure will remain. It seems a bit exaggerated, and occurs in the context of a war of information in the US and international press between Democrats and Republicans.”
“In a negative scenario, the worst case, with a serious withdrawal and the facilities of DEVELU and possibly the drones of Câmpia Turzii remaining, then yes, the political signal is very serious. Romania would be forced to adapt its national strategy or its military defense strategy,” he added.
The expert considers that such a measure by Americans would have “a great impact on the transatlantic alliance”, because European allies will have to compensate for the military hole left on the eastern flank. “This implies an increase in the presence of the NATO fighting group in Cincu. It will depend on France to develop and increase the number of NATO forces in this area,” he said.
